Ather Energy launches charging infrastructure for electric vehicles

Q18. Ather Energy was founded by 2 IITians-Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013.The company has been funded by Flipkart founders, Hero Motorcorp and Tiger Global. They have 340 and 450 as their product. What do they manufacture?

Electric vehicle startup Ather Energy has launched charging infrastructure for EVs, and plans to set up 30 charging points by the end of May under its EV infrastructure brand AtherGrid.

Having developed a smart electric two-wheeler from scratch, the company has been determined to create the necessary infrastructure to promote usage of electric vehicles.

The startup will soon start selling its smart electric scooter S340 in the Indian market. The two-wheeler, which can travel at a maximum speed of 72 kmph, was first showcased in 2016.

"Electric vehicles cannot become a viable alternative without making charging infrastructure availability a greater priority. It is critical for us to make public charging convenient and accessible," said Tarun Mehta, Co-founder and CEO, Ather Energy.

AtherGrid Charging Point

The Hero MotoCorp- backed company has already started installing intelligent and connected charging stations across Bengaluru. AtherGrid charging stations will be located within 4 km from any point in the city, it claimed.

The company plans to have at least 60 available charging points at malls, cafes, restaurants, tech parks, multiplexes, and gyms. The charging points will be for both four-wheelers and two-wheelers.

The charging stations will be backed by a cloud-based mobile app to help vehicle owners navigate to the nearest charging stations. The app can also be used to check the vehicle's charge remotely using one's phone, and offers integrated payment options too.

AtherGrid will offer the app for free for the next 6 months to all electric vehicle owners.

Earlier this month, Ather Energy partnered with Sanmina Corporation to develop and manufacture key components for its soon-to-be-launched two-wheeler. Sanmina will exclusively manufacture Ather's charging system, battery management systems, and dashboard at its facility in Chennai.